Oh, I am sure their players and their most hardcore fans think a Stanley Cup is possible. For the rest of us, this looks like an ideal time for the B's to sneak up on us, surprise us and clean up a bedraggled sports stage.

The Red Sox will sort out the mess they've created, but it may take them a month or more.

The Patriots don't know if their league will be operating. The Celtics are probably asking if David Stern can find a loophole and overturn that Kendrick Perkins trade.

So here come the Bruins, a division champion after all, opening their Stanley Cup playoff run against Montreal Thursday night.

This series will be closely watched, in the same way an accident draws attention on the highway.

The playoff stakes usually put the focus on hockey, though, and that is what I expect.

All in all, this has been a pretty good year for the Bruins. The hangover of blowing a 3-0 playoff series lead to the Flyers last year has not crippled the, though we will hear about that much more now at Stanley Cup time.

Tim Thomas not only regained his form, he set an NHL save percertage record.